If youre miserable with osteoarthritis symptoms, knee injections may be one treatment your doctor orders. Read on as a leading orthopedist explains what every woman needs to know about relieving joint pain and swelling...

Suffering from pain and swelling in your knee? Put down the over-the-counter painkillers, and make an appointment with your doctor.

See your doctor and get referred to a knee specialist sooner, not later, Dr. Podesta advises. The longer you put up with the pain, the worse the damage will become. And then youre looking at knee-replacement surgery.

Early intervention with newer treatments, such as hyaluronic acid and plasma from your own blood, can prevent further joint deterioration, he says.

There are medications and biologic therapies we can inject into your knee to keep the pain down and keep you active longer, Dr. Podesta says.

In this exclusive Lifescript interview, Dr. Podesta answers questions about knee injections and explains how they reduce knee pain and limit osteoarthritis damage to your joints.